Tag Archives: Pistols

I don’t know why I left SIG in the first place. Pretty much I left SIG for Glock because sometimes I go into Retard Mode or something. I should never have left. I love SIG’s and I love .45’s and flirting with smaller guns that don’t even have hammers – a mistake I shall never make again.

We’ve had this lightly used SIG 227 sitting in the gun counter for about 6 months now… I had 15 rounds of .45 Auto PMC Bronze on my desk for about that same period of time.
Well, today I put them to work. HOLY CRAP! The 227 is absolutely one of the nicest shooting .45’s I’ve ever fired. It’s smooth, super soft recoil, and dang is it accurate. That is 15 rounds at 25 feet. No… seriously… 15 rounds. I put 10 rounds in the mag, ran the target to 25 feet, fired 10 rounds, reloaded with the last 5, fired them and brought the target back in. HOLE-LEE-CRAP.
I’m an okay shot – but not this good! That’s the GUN. The only other gun that’s on par with this is the CZ 97B… or $1800+ 1911’s.

This made me just fall in love with SIG’s all over again. So much… There’s a used SIG 220 Carry that I’ve been very tempted about. This might be pushing me over the edge.

I was driving to work yesterday, sitting in a traffic jam on I-77 really… and listing to Glenn Beck on the Patriot XM. And I heard an advertisement for Bond Arms Derringers.

Then last night I was with my wife at Cabela’s and she pointed out the Bond Arms and was basically “Oh look, Shiny!”
Here’s the thing about Bond Arms. They do make the best Derringers on the market. They are built with high quality standards, good materials, and with an excellent fit and finish. I’ve never seen a bad one.

But I’ve also never seen one I’d actually carry for Self Defense. They are thick and they are heavy. They are solid chunks of steel weight with two holes drills through them. They are as thick as a Double Whopper With Cheese. And for all that size and weight, you only get two shots. Now, I understand the reason for all that beef… Because you can change barrels and change calibers… tons of options for that. But every option leaves you with just two shots.

Two from a gun with horrible sights and a horrible trigger, that has to be manually cocked. How you get a terrible trigger pull from a Single Action Trigger is beyond me. Combine bad sights and a bad trigger with only 2 shoots and you get something that’s very much Less than Ideal for actual self defense use. Put that in a package that’s so thick and heavy – you will not be carrying it very often.

Bond Arms looks Old School Cool. And they are. Just don’t be buying them for actual self defense use.

Having a chance to play with a number of these new SMG type pistols… I keep coming back to the Scorpion.

It’s a simple firearm. A good looking firearm. And one that feels good and runs better. It’s not perfect… but it’s close. There are some things I’d change about it. Such as that grip. And I’d make the rail sections removable on the sides. But really those are just Nit-Pick items. The gun is solid. The gun is good to go. It begs to be SBR’d and if you want an EVO, just factor in that 200 dollar tax stamp. Because you are going to want it.

It’s just cool looking. It looks like a modern SMG, and not a 1950’s hold over. It looks like something that would make the head honchos at HK slam fists into tables. I need one of these. The next gun I’m going to get is probably going to be a KSG… But after the KSG, it’s going to be an EVO 3.

The ergos on the CZ are not as nice as the SIG MPX, but are very good for an SMG if you are used to SMG’s. The HK Slap works well here, and is a welcome feature. As is the mag release.

I know a lot of guys are digging the Kriss or the SIG… and both are great. Both have strong reasons to consider them. The SIG because of the familiarity. If you can run an AR – you can run an MPX. The Kriss, as weird as it is – and it is really weird – is running common Glock 21 magazines. That’s an advantage. But the CZ, for me, just nails it… Hitting all the points I want in this type of firearm. And it’s the least expensive of the three.

This is the best rework of the XD series Springfield has. I like this better than the XDM. The new MOD.2 is shaped right. It fills the hand without being too large and is just grippy enough to be be grippy without being abrasive. The regular XD’s and XDM’s feel slick in my hands… .and for that reason I just don’t take to them. Had this been the design back before I got my Glock 23 – I think I could have been very likely to have selected one of these. Now look at the Slide and Frame contours… You know what? The XD isn’t ugly anymore. It’s grown into quite the handsome figure. I like the slide serrations. They did a great job.
There’s just one problem.“GRIP ZONE”? Seriously? Where’s the “SLIDE ZONE” markings? Captain Obvious needs to stay out of the Design Room at Springfield and maybe take a holiday to eastern Syria. GRIP ZONE… Who approved that? Who did that? Who is responsible for GRIP ZONE? If you know who that guy is… Mark his face with a Sharpie “SLAP ZONE”. Please.
Other than that… Home Run, Springfield. Home Run! I’ll be waiting for and 3.8 Compact Mod.2 in the XDM series… But this is tempting. as it is. Very well done, Springfield… Bravo!

This is a long time coming. I’ve wanted to Armchair Quarterback FNH for a good long time – but have always put it off because I knew this was going to be a massive AQB Session. Because I’ve got a lot of notes to go through here. Buckle Up.

The only question here is how do we go about this one? Let’s make it easy for you guys to follow along. Go grab a 2015 FNH Catalog from your stack/file of manufacturer’s catalogs… or stop by your local dealer to get one. Let’s just go through this page by page.

Page 13… Notice that it takes you 13 pages in their product catalog to get to their catalog. The prior 12 pages establish that, yes, FNH is awesome. They’ve take the Banner of the Builders of Badass away from Colt and away from HK. Impressive feat. You should change your logo now. Gloss Black background with gold lettering. Where was I? Ah – Page 13. We see a great photo of an FNS-9C. That’s an outstanding pistol. Recently there came the addition of the .40 caliber version – which is outstanding. But where is the FNS-45C? That’s a hole right in the middle of the lineup. There are a lot of shooters that still like .45 Auto. I myself would rather a .45 than a 9mm.
Another hole in this line up of Compacts – is a compact FNX. A hammer fired version. I know Strikers are all the Rage, and coming out with a Striker compact first was a good move, yes. However I’m waiting on the X version. I want a hammer. Not only that, I want that compact hammer-fired pistol in .45. I’m a traditionalist… I have gray in my beard… I’ve earned my opinion.
Now let’s talk about the FNS-C pistols specifically. Making them a straight up chopped version of the full sized guns is good – but you kind of missed the point on this. Compacts like these are meant for covert carry. Concealed carry. Under Cover, close to the body, under the shirt and inside the waistband carry. The problem is that the FNS-C’s have some bloody sharp edges on it where there shouldn’t be.
Give the “Little C” pistols a melt job. Just have a guy hit them with a belt sander a little bit before sending the slide to get finished. Hit some of that grip frame as well. In fact, if you could… Take that grip frame and just sand that frame rail right off the bottom. No rails.

NO RAILS!!!

The idea here is to keep the FNS-9C as small as possible and as comfortable as possible for concealed carry. Don’t think that would work? Look at the SIG M-11, it has no rails and SIG is selling the hell out of them. Oh, would you look at that – it also has a hammer. Just sayin.

Pages 15-17. The FNS and FNX series as shown. Solid guns. I really like them. But turn real quick to page 18. What do you see? The FNX-45 Tactical.
Are you following me here? Yeah… I’m going to say it. Where are the FNX-9 Tacticals? And the FNX-40 Tacticals? With the extended threaded barrels, suppressor sights, and slides cut for Micro-Red Dots? S&W has this with the CORE pistols – hugely popular. In fact, when I was with a certain tactical holster company – that was one of the #1 questions about the M&P holsters – would they fit the CORE. Glock has the MOS series of pistols out now – all pre-cut for RMR sights. What – does FNH think only guys wanting that are shooting .45 Autos?
While we are talking Tactical editions… Where is an FNS Tactical? Because the CORE and the MOS pistols just happen to be strikers. FNH, you need to bring balance to these forces.

Let’s talk colors. Page 18 and page 19, I’m seeing Tan frames. Where are the Tan frames on the other pistols? I mean, obviously, you guys have the capability to do tan frames… but you’ve chosen not to. Let me tell ya something. Glock pistols in the alternate Tan color – always sell out before the regular black pistols do. And a Tan gun in the Compact lines actually make a lot more sense as they will be less noticeable than a black gun. That and folks just like different color options. I’m not saying pull out a rainbow… But FDE and ODG would not go amiss here.

Speaking of a miss here… The long slide guns… Some factory installed adjustable sights with a high-vis front sight post would be ideal.

Know what would also be idea? An FNX Tactical in 10mm. Yes, I’m suggesting that. Interest in 10mm is on the upswing and more options in 10mm would really help. Working with dealers who sell FNH – I have heard many many times “If this was in 10mm…”
Come on – just a special edition run of them at least. That would be legendary.

Page 19. The Five-Seven. You know what else I’ve heard a lot of wishes about? A Compact version of the Five-Seven for concealed carry. Guys that are into it wish they could pack these concealed.
Shorter mags down to 20 rounds – chop the barrel a 3/4 an inch, melt job, and no rails. The 57C. Seriously… that would be awesome. Also, it needs the Tactical Treatment as well. Extended threaded, RMR cut. Do it. People ask for it.

The FNH FNX 45 is one of the top contenders in the debate about what the new military pistol should be. It’s big, accurate, has a high capacity, and as reliable as the sunrise. It would be a great sidearm for any of our nation’s warriors.

Unless that warrior had small hands. Even with the replaceable backstraps… it’s still a large pistol to hold on to for a lot of people. Many would not be able to operate it as efficiently as would be ideal.

The HK HK45 on the other hand, is far more ergonomic and doesn’t feel as large. It’s as accurate and reliable as the FNX, but it doesn’t have the capacity. 12 instead of 15. So it’s a trade of. A few less rounds, but more comfortable and more people can shoot it easier. And… it’s a sexier looking pistol. Given the pros and cons… it’s a touch choice. What do you guys think? Pick one.
(My normal response of “Both” is of course already noted. But if you had to pick just one… pick one.)

I like this gun. It felt very good in my hands, shot very accurately… Much closer to point of aim, point of impact for me… just ran “Good“.

Good isn’t really the right word… Freaking Awesome is about right. It felt freaking awesome. I know the Storm isn’t a SIG or a 1911… But it’s a wonderful shooting gun. 10 rounds in the mag isn’t all that impressive, but the mag is smooth and easy to load and feels like its a higher quality piece than most other mags.
I don’t mind the Beretta Safety. I even like it. I don’t mind the DA/SA trigger. I even like it. I don’t mind the funky action – I really like it. I’m weird that way. But when you have a .45 that shoots like it’s launching Nerfs instead of 230 grain slugs… that’s something. When you have a gun that puts the first 5 rounds into the same bloody hole, right where you wanted it to go – That’s awesome. I know this group doesn’t look like its really all that much better than the Glock 30s’s group. But the gun felt like I had much more control, and that I was placing my shots better…. It felt like that. I knew where the bullet was going to go before I looked at the target. I could call the shots with it. Normally I can only really do that with a 220 or 1911… but I could with the Storm.
Now, the Storm is not up there like a SIG P220 is, or a nice 1911 is… But it’s right up there, real close. I like this gun. A lot.
The trigger pull could use some work. It’s not all that smooth on the example I fired. Which was a Range Rental Gun, that I think I was the first guy to try it out.

There was a time… 2013, where the Glock 30s was the object of my desire. Having spent some quality time with one… I’m not all that hot to trot for it anymore.

At 30 feet, that’s a respectable group. But I just feel… “Meh” about it. Not that there was anything wrong with it. The gun shot very well. And 10+1 Capacity of full bore .45 Auto is nothing to sneeze at. That’s more ammo on board than a full sized 1911, in a package that is much smaller and lighter. Trigger was typical of Glock’s 5.5 pound trigger… You feel one, you’ve felt them all. And I know that can be altered at will thanks to our friends at Lone Wolf Distributors. And the sights too. The sights on factory Glocks… Why THE HELL are they so stupid? Seriously. They suck. Balls. They suck balls.
The grip needs a bit of work being rather slick in my hands. To me, really, Glocks are project guns. Spend some time with them, making them feel and fire how I want them too. And then once the project is over, I just feel done with them. I like them enough to want to play with them… But I am not emotionally attached. Like Vegas hookers or something.

I know all the arguments for the Glocks… I do. I sang them myself when I was drinking the Glock-Koolaide. But… I’m just… Done with Glocks. They are just not me. I don’t feel that connection with them. I don’t feel that connection with my Microwave Oven either. But I do with my old fashioned Weber Grill. One is an appliance that I use to get a job done. The other gets that job done, but takes time and care… and I spend more time with it and come to love it all the more every time I use it. Not the Microwave. And not the Glock.

But if you like it – I understand way. I respect your opinion. Mine just differs.

This gun has been on my mind lately. Packing a full sized 1911 and a full sized 92FS poses difficulty when entering areas where you really don’t want your concealed gun to be made.

It’s a good looking gun. Short, small, and I can reload with a full sized mag.

At some undisclosed point in the past, at some undisclosed location, I was carrying concealed in a place that had it surfaced that I was packing concealed… would have been bad. Not technically illegal, but it would not have been a happy situation.

While I knew my gun was lawfully concealed, I felt distracted and self conscience because this was a less tolerant place.

Unlike past Ruger center-fire autos, the SR series is well sculpted and suitable for concealed carry.

Normally I operate and a Total ZFG situation when it comes to this sort of thing. I just don’t care what others think… But when others could take actions that, while wrong, would… how should I say… hinder my calm. I’ve not decided, but am thinking about getting something that is a bit more concealable. I don’t want to go IWB, but I’d consider it.

The only double stacked gun I can remember that is narrow like the SR series, is the Browning BDM.

So I’m thinking a gun that’s shorter and as reasonably narrow and still be comfortable. Now, I’m not wanting to go Single Stack… Because while I am not all that concerned with a high capacity, I like even more the idea of my reload giving me a boost… because if I Go Loud, I probably need a lot more ammo. Especially if I’m using something as anemic as 9mm. Which I consider Fine, but I’d like Finer. I love my Beretta and shoot it quite well… and carry it often… but it has a lot of rounds. Going down to a single digit round count for concealed carry – I’d rather have my reload give me as much as it can.

The Ruger SR9C gives me all of the above wants.
Of course, a Ruger SP101 would serve just as well.

*sigh*

I am conflicted. Maybe we can chalk this up to New Gun Itch. (The GP100 is still happening – eventually)

The Ultimate 1911 for EDC (Every Day Carry) has got to be the classic Light Weight Commander.

Those simple wood grips, with the simple blacked out finish… No Ramp rear sight… This is an example of LW Commander Perfection. It doesn’t get any better than this.

To me, this is the just the ideal 1911, period. It’s the most flexible, capable 1911 you can get. When you step away from this pattern, you step into more specialized, more limited areas. You can easily rock an LW Commander in an IDPA match, and win it. You can easily take that same gun and wear it for week concealed. You go to a 5″ Government if you like. And that’s fine. But packing it concealed every day gets to be tedious. Especially if you are getting in and out of vehicles all week. You can go shorter than 4″ if you like… makes packing it much easier, sure. But you sacrifice reliability in a way that I just find to be unacceptable. Maybe you don’t need a reliable sidearm. Huh… Well, someone is buying Kimber Ultras. No… to me, the LW Commander just has it all. The question though is WHICH light weight Commander.

Ruger is all over the place with their new LW Commander. No, it’s not that I’ve been a Ruger Fan Boy lately, it’s just that Ruger is really “Doing It Right” lately. (Granted – their new “Custom” LCP should be an LC9S, but that’s another topic) I really like what Ruger has been doing lately. 5 years ago – I may have had to hurt you should you have suggested that I’d be saying that. But it’s true. Ruger is making some fine products, and their 1911’s are getting better. If anything, they are really worth taking a look at.